I was nervous about
dropping my backpack in the water or having it be splashed with salt water
since it was filled with my netbook computer, cameras, phone and other small
electronics. Luckily nothing happened but I'm planning on sealing the
contents inside my backpack with a plastic bag for any future trips like
this that include a boat to beach transfer.

All of the arriving
guest were brought refreshing tropical fruit juice drinks, some hotel
information papers, and a check in information sheet. Once I finished the
paperwork, we sat and enjoyed the spectacular view of the South Pacific
outside the open air lobby until our room was ready.

Our room, a
"Rainforest Studio", was small but more than adequate for our needs
especially with the discounted price tag of just $65 USD per night. Even the
normal price of about $130 USD per night is a bargain for resort
accommodations on such a beautiful island.

We were exhausted
when we arrived after flying 6 hours from Fort Lauderdale to Los Angeles,
driving to
Point Dume Beach in Malibu during our 12 hour layover, flying 14 hours
from LAX to Nadi, and the two hour boat ride from
Port Denarau. But since it was early morning in Fiji, we were determined
to stay awake until at least 9 PM local time to avoid becoming nocturnal.

Some of the
features of the Amunuca Resort include a large pool with water slide, an
adults only pool, free use of the hotel's kayaks, free use of the snorkel
gear from Reef Safari Watersports (onsite scuba diving), a kid's club play
area, a movie theater, an internet room, the Senitoa Day Spa, a poolside
swim up bar, a tennis court, a wedding chapel, a rugby field, a Kava drink
ceremonial pavilion and a restaurant.

Every morning, we
tried to get up early and go for a walk/hike around the grounds, the hills
and the beach. One of our favorite places to visit was the collection of
tide pools brimming with tiny sea creatures. To reach the tide pools, turn
left once you reach the beach and hike over the volcanic rocks. If you keep
going, you'll reach a small secluded beach that has excellent snorkeling.
That beach is also where I spotted a tiny reef shark in the water while
snorkeling.

Since I don't like
being totally dependent on a resort for every single calorie I consume, we
purchased some instant oatmeal and an assortment of snacks like nuts and
dried fruit at the Yees Xpressmart back in Port Denarau. A few mornings we
woke up early before the restaurant was open for breakfast, so it was nice
to just have a quick mug of oatmeal mixed with banana chips before heading
out for a sunrise hike.

Before leaving for
this trip, I bought two Pacsafe brand TravelSafe portable security bags to
help prevent my
Acer AS1410 laptop and cameras from being stolen. They are composed of
strong steel mesh wires and can be locked to any immovable point in a hotel
room. I'm sure a thief with the right tools and plenty of time could cut the
locking cable or penetrate the bag, but the safes certainly eliminate casual
theft and give me more peace of mind when leaving valuables behind.

The few mornings
that we did have breakfast at the Amunuca restaurant, we were seated at a
nice normal table in the dining area. Unfortunately, at lunch time the staff
would only allow guests to sit in the bar area which has tiny drink stands
that you have to crouch over to eat and can't put your feet under. There
were also an abundance of flies and gnats in the main bar area due to the
constant presence of beer and sweet tropical drinks to attract them.
Hopefully the new management that took over in April 2010 have changed this
practice to allow guests to eat lunch in the dining area at a proper table.

After a few days of
being annoyed by the flies in the bar area during lunch, we learned to ask
for our sandwiches to be wrapped up. Then we'd either take them with us on a
hike or on a kayak trip over to a secluded beach or cave on another part of
the island.

We also then
discovered the walking path between the hills past the Amunuca staff
quarters and adults only pool area that leads to the back entrance of the
neighboring Tokoriki Resort. Eating at the Tokoriki Resort's restaurant was
much more pleasant (quieter, almost no flies) and the prices were about the
same at $15-20 FJD ($7-10 USD) per person for lunch and about $30 FJD ($15
USD) per person for dinner. When asked for our room number, I just told them
that we were staying at Amunuca and paid in cash, with my American Express,
or Capital One Visa cred card.

For dinner during
the eight nights, we split our time between the Amunuca Restaurant and the
Tokoriki Restaurant. I found that the portions were more generous at Amunuca,
especially the curry dishes, but some nights there was a bit of noise from
the family section. The dishes at Tokoriki were excellent, but I
occasionally wished for a larger portion to satisfy my big appetite built up
from kayaking and snorkeling all day.

Cyclone Mick had
just ravaged Fiji before we had arrived, so we saw evidence of the damage
from the storm and some services such as the adults only bar and pool seemed
to be closed down during our visit. The clean up effort progressed quickly
and we were able to go for a quiet swim in the adults only pool several
times. Sadly, the adults only bar was never manned by a bartender during our
stay so drinks had to be obtained from the bar at the main pool area.

If you visit
Amunuca or anywhere in Fiji, you have to jump in the ocean and go
snorkeling. Bring an underwater camera if you have one to capture the
amazing variety of colorful sea life including iridescent corals, clown fish
("Finding Nemo"), sea anemones, blue starfish, butterflyfish, parrotfish,
reef triggerfish, surgeonfish, porcupinefish, squid, spotted puffer fish,
Wrasse fish, trumpet fish, moorish idol, and I was even lucky enough to see
a small reef shark. Here are my over three hundred
Amunuca Snorkeling Underwater Pictures & Video Clip.

We found that the
snorkeling right off the beach, especially at the secluded beaches on other
parts of the island, was excellent with great visibility and a never ending
supply of fish to observe. So we didn't bother to pay for a snorkeling trip
with the onsite Reef Safari Watersports company. But we did sign up for a
one tank dive with them out to a nearby coral reef that the dive master said was just
simply named "Blue Reef". The total cost of the one tank certified
scuba diving trip was $120 FJD per person or about $63 USD. They accept
Fijian currency, U.S. dollars, or Visa/Mastercard credit cards.